1. Field of the Invention
This present invention relates generally to applications where it is desired to eliminate glaring effects of light on the eyes, and more specifically, to motor vehicle headlamps in order to obtain a continuous long-distance illumination without any glaring effects on the oncoming traffic and pedestrians during nighttime driving.
2. Detailed Description of the Prior Art
Numerous studies have been conducted on motor vehicle headlamps in order to provide a good illumination on the road surface in any type of weather and road conditions while ensuring the light beam does not cause any glaring on the eyes of the oncoming traffic users.
Below is the summary of studies conducted in this field;                Using a projection type headlamp (for example, U.S. Pat. No. 1,614,027 to R. Graf; U.S. Pat. No. 2,215,203 to Young; U.S. Pat. No. 6,007,223 to Futami; U.S. Pat. No. 6,220,736 to Dobler, et al.; and U.S. Pat. No. 6,416,210 to Uchida),        Using movable reflectors or headlamp (for example, U.S. Pat. No. 5,077,642 to Lisak; and U.S. Pat. No. 6,543,916 to Shirai),        Using various types of light sources such as incandescent, halogen, HID, or colored light sources, or optical fiber etc. (for example, U.S. Pat. No. 4,302,698 to Kiesel, et al.; U.S. Pat. No. 4,366,409 to Nieda, et al.; U.S. Pat. No. 4,594,529 to Bertus; U.S. Pat. No. 4,839,779 to Kasboske; U.S. Pat. No. 5,045,748 to Ahlgren, et al.; U.S. Pat. No. 5,278,731 to Davenport, et al.; and 6,168,302 to Hulse),        Using anti-glare shields (for example, U.S. Pat. No. 6,375,341 to Denley; U.S. Pat. No. 6,386,744 to Scholl; U.S. Pat. No. 6,422,726 to Tatsukawa, et al.; U.S. Pat. No. 6,428,195 to Ohshio, et al.; U.S. Pat. No. 6,430,799 to Ballard, et al. and FR. Pat. No 2808867 to Reiss Benoit),        Coating the light source, reflector surfaces or lens with micro particles, film forming layers and similar substances (for example, U.S. Pat. No. 4,391,847 to Brown; U.S. Pat. No. 6,440,334 to Currens, et al.; U.S. Pat. No. 6,534,118 Nakamura, et al.; and U.S. Pat. No. 6,570,302 to Boonekamp, et al.),        Forming special diffractive sections on the front lens (for example, U.S. Pat. No. 4,577,260 to Tysoe; U.S. Pat. No. 5,081,564 to Mizoguchi et al.; and U.S. Pat. No. 5,688,044 to Watanabe, et al.),        Using plurality face reflector surfaces, (for example, U.S. Pat. No. 5,483,430 to Stapel, et al.; and U.S. Pat. No. 5,944,415 to Kurita et al.),        Indirect illumination using reflective mirrors where the light source and reflectors are concealed (for example, U.S. Pat. No. 1,300,202 to Stubblefield; U.S. Pat. No. 1,683,896 to Jacob; U.S. Pat. No. 2,516,377 to Fink; U.S. Pat. No. 4,089,047 to Luderitz; U.S. Pat. No. 4,456,948 to Brun; U.S. Pat. No. 4,605,991 to Fylan; U.S. Pat. No. 4,620,269 to Oyama; U.S. Pat. No. 6,457,850 to Oyama, et al.; U.S. Pat. No. 5,414,601 to Davenport, et al.; FR. Pat. No 2668434 to Fayolle; and JP. Pat. No 7-164500 to Goto Shinichiro et. al),        Using duct-type headlamp assembly (for example, U.S. Pat. No. 1,328,692 to Richard; U.S. Pat. No. 1,965,869 to Walch; U.S. Pat. No. 3,643,081 to Szeles; and U.S. Pat. No. 6,070,999 to Kamps, et al.),        Using polarization methods on front lens or reflector or windshield (for example, U.S. Pat. No. 3,876,285 to Schwarzmuller; U.S. Pat. No. 3,935,444 to Zechnall, et al.; DE. Pat. No 4417675 to Roeseler Olaf; and FR Pat. No 2705434 to Joel Leleve),        Using shutters, louvers or masking devices in front of light source, reflectors or front lens (for example, U.S. Pat. No. 3,598,989 to Orric H. Biggs; U.S. Pat. No. 5,077,649 to Jackel, et al.; U.S. Pat. No. 5,124,891 to Blusseau; U.S. Pat. No. 6,109,772 to Futami, et al.; U.S. Pat. No. 6,543,910 to Taniuchi, et al.; U.S. Pat. No. 6,558,026 to Strazzanti; 20030081424 to Abou Pierre, et al.; GB. Pat. Nos. 446358 to Mcnaught; and 2149077 to Longchamp, et al.; and FR. Pat. No 2627845 to Laribe Armand),        Using headlamp-leveling devices (for example, U.S. Pat. No. 4,802,067 to Ryder, et al.; U.S. Pat. No. 6,504,265 to Toda, et al.; U.S. Pat. No. 6,513,958 to Ishikawa; and U.S. Pat. No. 6,572,248 to Okuchi et al.),        
While some of these arts provide sufficient illumination, they fail to prevent glaring effects, and others prevent glaring completely, but fail to ensure sufficient light intensity at appropriate distances or at least they cause the loss of part of the lights generated.
Any obstructions or masking materials (shutters, louvers, bulb shields, reflector shields, anti-glare shields, etc.) placed in the light pathway, or any special paint or coating applied to the light source or to reflector surfaces or other similar methods (such as polarization, film layers, micro particles on reflector surfaces or on cover lens or on the windshield, etc.) absorbing some portions of the light rays reduce photometric measurements of the illumination. Since the light shield disposed in front of the reflector surface blocks part of the generated light rays in conventional projection type headlamp designs, illumination intensity is reduced and a full glare control may not be provided.
In some of the previous arts that are similar to our invention, the light source and the reflecting surfaces are not fully concealed from the opposite traffic, and thus glaring effects cannot completely be eliminated. Other works provide total concealing with shutters, louvers, shields, or with the upper or lower walls of the reflectors behaving as flat reflecting surfaces designed parallel to the road surface or with indirect illumination methods where a flat mirror disposed at the upper section of the headlamp housing is used as the main reflecting surface and parallel to road surface. However, since it is not possible to obtain a parallel light beam in any of these methods, they fail to provide a sufficient illumination at desired distances.
In the present invention, the light source and all the direct and indirect reflecting surfaces are totally concealed from the opposite traffic, and since the design presented herein ensures a full adjustment of the height of the light plane, a fully non-glare headlamp system with a light projection at desired intensity and with a long-distance illumination is obtained.